The Silver Screen’s Biggest Stars—They’re All at TIFF 2011

For 10 glamorous days, from September 8 to 18, this city becomes a beacon for the global entertainment industry—the Toronto International Film Festival attracts cinephiles and celebrities alike with its superior slate of more than 300 movies from Hollywood and around the world.

Here, Where Toronto takes a peek at some of the most anticipated flicks of the fest, and the megastars in town to promote them.

The TIFF Bell Lightbox's state-of-the-art cinemas will be packed with movie lovers from September 8 to 18. <br /> <br />Single-screening tickets ($19.69 or $38.27 for gala premieres) are on sale now. To purchase, visit the festival box office at<br />225 King St. W., call 416-599-8433 to charge by phone, or visit the <a href="http;//www.tiff.net">TIFF website</a>. For sold out screenings, rush tickets may become available 10 minutes prior to showtime.<br /> <br />(Photo by George Pimentel/WireImage)

Lately, French director <b>Luc Besson</b> has become known for action films of questionable value, but his earlier works, such as <em>The Big Blue</em> and <em>Leon: The Professional</em>, prove he can handle subtlety, too. TIFF viewers can find out just how he handles more refined subject matter in <b><em>The Lady</em></b>. Starring Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis, it tells of the enduring love between Aung San Suu Kyi and her husband, Michael Aris, despite the Burmese democracy activist’s persecution and incarceration.

<em>Mad Men</em>’s <b>Jon Hamm</b>, <em>Saturday Night Live</em> cast members <b>Kristen Wiig</b> and <b>Maya Rudolph</b>, and <em>Parks & Recreation</em>’s <b>Adam Scott</b> comprise a main portion of those who took direction from Hamm’s partner, Jennifer Westfeldt, in the indie comedy <em><b>Friends with Kids</b></em>. Also featuring Megan Fox, Edward Burns, Chris O’Dowd and Westfeldt herself, the film follows a pair of singles confronting the reality of losing touch with their married friends, who have become busy and boring due to the affliction of child rearing.

Perhaps you never thought you’d be excited to see a new film starring one of the Olsen sisters. Then again, perhaps you didn’t know that Mary Kate and Ashley had a younger sister, <b>Elizabeth Olsen</b><b>, who made a huge splash at this year’s Sundance Festival as a young woman fleeing from a cult in </b><b><em>Martha Marcy May Marlene</em></b> (pictured), which also screens at TIFF. The breakout star is also part of a strong ensemble cast (including Catherine Keener, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Jane Fonda) in the premiere of <em><b>Peace, Love & Misunderstanding</b></em>, a comedy about an uptight lawyer, her two daughters and their hippie grandmother.<br />

The slightly askew sensibilities of eminent Canadian director <b>David Cronenberg</b> seem perfectly suited to capturing the real-life rivalry of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. In <br /><b><em>A Dangerous Method</em></b>, the father of body horror casts Viggo Mortensen as Freud, Michael Fassbender as Jung, and Keira Knightley as the woman who sets them<br />at odds. It all adds up to a piercing examination of sexuality, ambition and deceit, and the resulting schism between two of the 20th century’s greatest minds.

In 2010, one of TIFF’s biggest guests was not a movie star at all, as the festival hosted the world premiere of <em>The Promise</em>, a movie about the making of Bruce Springsteen’s <em>Darkness on the Edge of Town</em> album. Building on that repertoire at this year’s event are three projects with major musicians attached, including <b><em>From the Sky Down</em></b> (pictured), which looks into the enduring popularity of <b>U2</b>. Directed by Davis Guggenheim (<em>An Inconvenient Truth</em>), the film managed to snag TIFF’s coveted opening night slot. Almost equal in status is pioneering rock band <b>Pearl Jam</b>—the Cameron Crowe-directed doc <b><em>Pearl Jam Twenty</em></b> celebrates two decades of music from Eddie Vedder and company. Finally, and perhaps even more intriguingly, Madonna makes an appearance as the director of <em><b>W.E.</b></em>, a romance inspired by the marriage of King Edward the VIII of England and American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

Despite his recent controversial comments about identifying with Nazis, Danish director <b>Lars von Trier</b> (pictured) continues to be a favourite of the festival circuit. Stepping back from the more physical mayhem of 2009’s <em>Antichrist</em>, von Trier’s follow-up, <b><em>Melancholia</em></b>, offers psychological devastation instead. Beautifully lensed,<br />the film tells of two sisters (Charlotte Gainsbourg and Kirsten Dunst, in an award-winning role) struggling with family tensions as the world comes to an end.

Long touted as one of Hollywood’s heat seekers, <b>Ryan Gosling</b> looks set to officially join the A list this year. The versatile actor already won praise this summer for his humorous work as Steve Carell’s wingman in <em>Crazy, Stupid, Love</em>, but his true breakout role looks to be that of a stunt performer-cum-getaway wheelman in <b><em>Drive</em></b> (pictured), a visceral actioner—and TIFF special presentation—that earned director Nicolas Winding Refn the Camera d’Or at Cannes and also features an impressively evil performance by Albert Brooks. Appropriately enough, Gosling also trades dialogue and dramatic looks with George Clooney in <em><b>The Ides of March</b></em>.

Photographers and autograph seekers will be working overtime with two international icons expected to grace the red carpet. Always a welcome presence in Toronto, <b>George Clooney</b> brings not one, but two films to this year’s festival. Most anticipated is <em><b>The Ides of March</b></em> (pictured)—Clooney directed, co-wrote and, alongside Ryan Gosling, Jeffrey Wright and others, stars in this political thriller about an idealistic press secretary and a presidential candidate embroiled in scandal. Lower key, but no less intriguing is his turn in <em><b>The Descendants</b></em>, the latest film from Alexander Payne (<em>Sideways</em>), about an aloof land baron who attempts to reconnect with his daughters following a family tragedy. If Clooney isn’t enough to pique your interest, TIFF also boasts the world premiere of <b><em>Moneyball</em></b>, in which <b>Brad Pitt</b> portrays the real-life general manager of the Oakland Athletics, who revolutionized modern baseball by using sophisticated computer metrics to build a winning team on a tight budget.